As our nation teeters on the edge of "the fiscal cliff," there are stark realities that come into view as we look down into the ravine. It's not a pretty sight to be sure. But it's not just what is seen in the ravine that is alarming....but also, what is not seen here on the cliff. As we gaze upon the current state of affairs, we find that our nation's leaders are without a reliable compass....specifically, a moral compass. No wonder we are lost and have come to this point on our journey together as Americans. No wonder we find ourselves in such a precarious position.

So what happened to the moral compass which has guided America throughout much of her history? Simply put, the moral compass was left behind years ago....and therefore, the expedition has been led largely by folks who are lost....and who proceeded to lead all of us according to their senses, rather than according to the moral compass given by God. Financially speaking, our entire nation is now on the brink because our leaders have brought us to this cliff.

The moral compass our nation needs is the one which God gives to those who know Him. This compass guides His people....and blesses others around them. That compass was ignored when the decision was made to legalize the killing of the unborn. Those who embrace the lie of evolution often find themselves apathetic to the needs of those unborn children who desperately need to be embraced by their mother....rather than aborted by their mother and her abortion provider.

Without the moral compass which our Creator gives us, the value of life in the womb is greatly diminished. Once you brazenly snuff out those in the womb, it then becomes easier to overlook the needs of future generations as you max out the nation's credit card. Both of these godless practices are the byproduct of discarding your moral compass at some point on your journey. You lose an accurate reading of right and wrong. You end up drifting in the wind....in whichever direction makes the most sense to your natural way of thinking. When that happens, you eventually find yourself on the edge of a cliff.

The lack of a moral compass also led to the decision to promote same-sex marriage, rather than God's design for man and woman. Such is life on the edge of the cliff. Everything here is up for grabs not only financially, but also sexually. The compass that once guided our nation could have kept us from these pitfalls had we sought wisdom from the Lord....and then followed in His path.

Without God's guiding hand....and our reliance upon Him, each man does what is right in his own eyes. This is why so many of our elected leaders continue to promote overspending. They don't seem to know any better....or don't seem to care what their actions mean for others down the road. But that's not all. Many of those who elected them seem to see nothing wrong with this selfish practice. They are oblivious to where it leads because they are walking blindly without a moral compass themselves. A good number of our nation's officials are simply giving Americans what many of our people want. That isn't leadership....it is the dereliction of their moral responsibility.

If you and I are simply the result of evolution as many in our nation believe, then it makes sense to engage in immoral behavior toward the unborn and toward future generations as well. They can fend for themselves. It's all about us and our needs....not anyone else. We should live for the moment without any moral restrictions upon our behavior whatsoever....be it our spending, or our treatment of the helpless and innocent ones among us.

We now see where this philosophy has led our nation....to this cliff....teetering on the edge....spiritually, morally, and financially. Yet even now, many continue to live in denial concerning what led us to this dangerous point. And what's even worse than denial is the deception that blinds people from seeing the evolutionary track which our nation has been on now for decades. The legalization of immorality has been a huge threat in our land for some time now. It is the result of spiritual blindness, and it spreads even more darkness when implemented....as well as confusion on many common sense issues, such as the need for economic restraint.

Evolution, abortion, same-sex marriage, and overspending are not just implemented by officials in Washington....these beliefs and practices reflect the heartbeat of many Americans. These are now the values of a broad spectrum of our society. Their approach to ethics is highly subjective and emotional....not fixed and firm on the foundation of God's moral law. Without an understanding of God's moral compass, people don't gain an understanding of His Gospel message which save souls. When a person gets saved, he not only receives eternal life in heaven....he also starts to become part of the solution to the problems in a nation adrift.

Ultimately, God's moral compass is an important part of the process of a person coming to know Jesus as Savior. God's Law accomplishes three things: (1) It is a "curb" in society that points people in the direction of God's absolute standards of right and wrong; (2) It is a "mirror" which shows man his sin and his need for salvation through faith in Christ; and (3) It provides "rules" for holy living for the people of God. God's Law was given to His people for their good....and many Americans from the beginning of our nation have understood the critical need to follow the Lord and seek God's blessing upon this land and this people.

There are multiple factors which help to explain where we find ourselves today. We didn't arrive at this cliff overnight. We didn't get here simply by making selfish and unwise financial decisions. We got here because lost leaders didn't realize the degree of their lost condition. Many of them continued to feel confident about their elected position....and their ability to tax and spend their way out of this mess. And yet, here we are....at the edge of the cliff....because so many of our leaders lacked the insight to lead us to a place of safety and security. The government works to protect us from all enemies, foreign and domestic....but what happens when the enemy is us? Only God can save us from ourselves, and our sins of selfish indulgence.

Is it too late to go back and find that compass which was tossed aside on the trail? That all depends on the level of humility....and the degree of wisdom held by those who lead the country. How about this question: "Is it possible to go back to a wise and conservative approach to spending if the heart refuses to repent of the other immoral acts which are being promoted in our land?" Those of us who see the remedy want to be optimistic....however, we must come to terms with the fact that financial madness is one byproduct of rejecting God's moral law. Until that rejection gets replaced with repentance, there is really no reason to believe that blind leaders will go anywhere but over this cliff....and over the next cliff....and the one after that as well....until there are no more cliffs and the United States is just a memory.

We know that God's church will certainly survive both here and abroad. Christianity has been an unstoppable reality ever since Jesus came to earth, died, and rose again. But the United States may not survive for too many more years unless our nation's leaders come to recognize what leaders in the past knew to be true.

Take Abraham Lincoln, for example. Lincoln issued his Proclamation for a Day of Prayer and Fasting back on March 30, 1863. It was that sort of courageous moral leadership which attempted to lead our nation according to God's will and His compass. Many other leaders over the centuries have also tried to point Americans to God. Where else would the moral compass come from other than from Him? The doctrine of evolution has obviously produced an immoral compass....and many have followed it to the detriment of their soul and to the backsliding of America.

If we fail to see the evolutionary journey which has led our nation to the fiscal cliff, then we fail to see that this problem is much deeper and more pervasive than irresponsible economic policy. The problem goes to the very core of our nation's soul....to that place where we previously had a firm footing and foundation. Today, the soul of our nation is deathly ill and in need of healing. This calls for repentance, and a return to the Lord and to those values which made the soul of our nation strong.

Who will save us....God or man? Where did we come from....God or monkeys? Where are we going....back the other way, or over the cliff? How will we get there....with the immoral compass that evolution has produced, or with God's moral compass? If you want to know whether the immoral compass has been reliable or not, just take an honest look at our nation....and our values....and our debt....and the misguided vision held by so many to be "politically correct," but not "spiritually correct."

There has been a lot more happening on this evolutionary journey than just poor economic policies. When you go looking for the root of the problem, you find that it is based in a godless philosophy which advances secular humanism, evolution, abortion, same-sex marriage, overspending, and the like. Those ideas and practices are not "the fruit of righteousness," (Philippians 1:11) but rather, the evolutionary fruit you end up with when your journey turns into a trek without God and without His moral compass.

Dan Delzell is the pastor of Wellspring Lutheran Church in Papillion, Neb. He is a regular contributor to The Christian Post.